Liquid dispensing machines, such as wine dispensing machines, are currently sold and are in increasing use and popularity. For example, Wine Station® brand liquid dispensing device sold by Napa Technologies, Inc. of Campbell, Calif. allows the precise dispensing of wine. This wine dispensing system uses gas displacement to displace a precise volume of wine. The system allows displacement of different volumes of wine allowing a pour of a taste, half glass, or full glass amount which may correspond to a 1 oz., 4 oz., or 8 oz. pour of dispensed liquid. The gas used for displacement may be nitrogen or another gas which does not react or degrade wine. This allows the system to dispense wine without degradation of the wine between pours. Such a dispense system also allows better tracking of the wine inventory for a retailer since the devices are configured to connect to a centralized computer system.
One unique and advantageous feature of the Wine Station wine dispensing system is the unique dispense head. With reference to FIG. 1, a profile of a dispense head 10 is shown. This dispense head includes a gas input 16 positioned at the rear of the dispense head when the dispense head is inserted into a wine dispensing machine. Gas input 16 then forms a gas-tight seal with a gas output on the machine. A metered amount of gas then flows through the machine to displace wine.
Opposite the gas input 16 is dispense spout 12. Dispense spout 12 is a hollow tube through which wine flows when wine is dispensed by the dispensing system. A rotatable valve assembly 14 is also controlled by the wine dispensing system when dispense head 10 is attached to a wine bottle and the dispense head inserted into the wine dispense machine such that gas input 16 mates with a gas output on the wine dispensing machine. Rotatable valve assembly may be rotated such that different channels within the rotatable valve assembly 14 align with different passageways within the dispense head. For example, if the gas input is simply aligned with the dispense spout 12. A puff of gas will pass through the dispense spout 12. This allows the dispense spout 12 to be cleared of any fluid which may be retained within the dispense spout. On the lower side of the dispense head 10 under the valve assembly 14 is a cap 18 which sits over the neck of a wine bottle. Within cap 18 is the tapered cylinder 26 which fits into a wine bottle. At the lower end of the tapered cylinder 26 is a tube mount 20. Onto mount 20 a tube 22 is mounted. This tube 22 extends to the bottom of a wine bottle and when gas flows from gas input 16 through holes on tapered cylinder 26 the wine is displaced and will flow into the open bottom end of tube 22 and into a channel in the dispense head 10 and out dispense spout 12.
FIG. 2 shows another view of the dispense head 10 attached to wine bottle neck 50. As seen above, cap 18 covers the top of wine bottle neck 50. Gas input 16 is opposite dispense spout 12. On the body 40 of dispense head 10 is a valve assembly cap 30. Extending through valve assembly cap 30 is a rotating tab 52. When rotating tab 52 is rotated by the wine dispensing system different pathways for gas and liquid travel are aligned. For example, if a channel from gas input 16 is blocked by rotation of rotating cap 52 no gas will flow through the system. This affectively seals the wine bottle as long as any channel leading to dispense spout 12 is also blocked. The sealed wine bottle can then be removed from a wine dispensing system and stored or replaced with an alternative wine bottle. In a second operation the channel leading from gas input 16 is connected through to the channel leading into the tapered cylinder 26. This would cause liquid to flow up tube 22 (shown in FIG. 1) and into a channel in the dispense head 10 that leads to the dispense spout 12. In a third operation created by rotation of rotating cap 52 the gas input 16 is directly connected to dispense spout 12. This allows a puff of air to flow through the dispense spout to clear it of any liquid.
With reference to FIG. 3, an exploded view of the dispense head 10 again shows the body 40 of dispense head 10 having a dispense spout 12 at one end and a gas input 16 at the opposite end. A cap 18 is affixed below body 40 and extends above the open end of the wine bottle when the dispense head 10 is attached to the wine bottle. Seated with the valve mount 38 on body 40 is the rotatable valve assembly 14. This includes the valve assembly cap 30 positioned over rotating valve 34. The channels discussed above allowing connections of the gas input and wine output are on the underside of rotating valve 34. This can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,631 which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes herein. Rotating valve 34 has a tab 34A which may be rotated by the wine dispensing system. An inner O-ring seal 32 seals rotating valve 34 to valve assembly cap 30 to prevent leaks.
On the sides of body 40 are mounted bands 36A, 36B. These bands have pins 37A, 37B which extend into the dispense spout 12. Bands 36A, 36B make an electrical connection with the wine dispense system. This allows electronic determination of whether the dispense head is properly inserted into the dispense machine. In addition the impedance may be measured as wine is dispensed. For example, the measuring of bubbles (even microbubbles) will be detectable and allow an alert that the wine level within a bottle is low.
The underside of the dispense head 10 includes a bottle mount assembly 80. This includes a cap 18 which extends around the neck of the wine bottle. Within cap 18 are tapered cylinder 26 which fits into a wine bottle as shown in FIG. 2. A retainer ring 82 holds intake tube mount 84. This provides the channel through which the wine will flow.
With reference to FIG. 4 the underside of dispense head 10 again shows a dispense spout 12 on one side of the device and gas input 16 on the opposing side. Cap 18 is mounted on body 40 and extends about the back of the wine bottle. A tube mount 20 on tapered cylinder 26 allows attachment of a tube which extends to the bottom of a wine bottle. Gas ports 24 on surface 28 on tapered cylinder 26 allow the flow of gas into a wine bottle to establish a pressurized head. Tapered cylinder 26 is extended into the wine bottle. The taper of tapered cylinder 26 allows the dispense head to be fitted into a variety of different wine bottles having different diameter bottle neck openings.
In use the present device has experienced some problems. For example, leakage is a possible problem in this pressurized device. Although the device is designed for use with a variety of different sized wine bottle necks, the variety of different wine bottle necks has been challenging to accommodate without gas leakage. Some attempts have been made to use washer-like spacers within wine bottle necks to forma better seal. However, given that these are not part of the dispense head this has proved non-ideal. It is an objective to provide a dispense head with more robust leak prevention.